Spring Safety Tips from Boat US Foundation

 02 May 26:

Spring has sprung, time to make sure we don't spring a leak and round up all of those drain plugs. Looking over the tips below, one tip reminds us to check the weather and be mindful of water temps. While the air temp may be 78F, the water temp is still high 50s - low 60s, where hypothermia can set in fast. We also were advised to learn your local weather patterns. Weather on our river tends to build from the West, so if we launch from a western shore and see weather building earlier than anticipated, the best escape route may be to head East vs beating back to the western shore.

Spring Safety Tips  A few quick checks now can help set the tone for a safer boating season.

1. Check Safety Equipment -  Confirm required gear is on board and in good condition.

2. Test Electronics - Confirm all electronics power up including the navigation lights.

3. Plan Before You Go - Review the forecast and be mindful of the water temps.

4. Review Navigation Rules - Refresh yourself with navigation rules before heading out.

5. Create a Float Plan - Be sure to tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.

Boat US Foundation Courses

Titan Scraper - Tiny but Fierce

 01 May 26:

Our article on the Titan stainless steel scrapers hit the digital streets today on Small Boats Nation May issue. The small scraper did yeoman duty, if there was a nook or a cranny, it found its way there. Along the way it endured chemical stripper and 140F heat gun plume. And then it cleaned up real nice. 

If you scroll through HENNING's log you'll spot the scraper once we started removing old coatings from the interior.

Sea Village of Rescue, VA

30 Apr 26:

Nearby sea village of Rescue, where the deadrise workboats brin in crab or oysters during the season. Situated on Jones Creek, with a short run to the Pagan River (Formerly Warrakoyack) and then out into the James River. Locals have been working these waters for several thousand years.

Oyster tongs

The Rescue, Virginia, post office (ZIP code 23424) opened on October 21, 1889

Fixer Upper. It was pretty under the vinyl siding.

Being quietly historic and ignored, the original chunk on the port side of the Battery Park in the trading town of Patesfield dates to the 1680s. A light was lit from the upper floor to help mariners navigate the entrance intp Pagan Creek.

 

Armed Schooner PATRIOT of the American Revolution

29 Apr 26:

Near the Mariner's Museum in Newport News is this plaque with information on the armed schooner PATRIOT. She was campaigned valiantly by Lt James Watkins and Pilot Cesar Tarrant, but was captured by the British. Her fate was better than most of the Virginia State Navy. 

PATRIOT's Pilot was an enslaved African American named Cesar Tarrant, he skillfully steered the boat through many campaigns, including the close quarters battle depicted below. He eventually gained freedom and land bounty's after the war.

There is a new observation pier being built where the plaque used to be, we will check in to make sure it gets placed in a new spot once the construction is complete.

It's fun to think about this river being traversed by ships of the Royal Navy and "sharp actions" with the Patriot's small maritime forces.

Zero Cats Required

 28 Apr 26:

Research Assistant Pixy checking out the boat shop.

Skipper, Capn Jack and ONKAHYE

 30 Apr 26:

Capn Jack and Skipper put her Drascombe Lugger ONKAHYE through her paces on the Santa Rosa Sound. 

Shirley Hogge Maritime Artist

 26 Apr 26:

Hampton Roads maritime artist Shirley Hogge painted this scene of the steamboat ISLE of WIGHT departing Pagan Creek in Smithfield, VA. There are the peanut factories and warehouses on Wharf Hill in the background and an intriguing bowsprit of a skipjack in the foreground. Wof course are most interested in the small boats that ISLE of WIGHT carries.

Blackwater River

25 Apr 26: 

Once navigable by steamboat and small craft, the Blackwater River on the western side of our county is now hindered by deadfall and silting, so bring your saw and a bucket. These waterways kept export and import flowing for the Patriots, as the British maritime forces were not geared up for inland operations. Once the farm truck arrived on the scene, the government shut down programs to keep the waterway clear.

 

Hampton Roads Steamboats

24 Apr 26:

 Maybe these will make a comeback, take a trip from Newport News to Richmond, enjoy a ham sandwich and lemonade, read the paper. Many boats had a day cabin. We of course are keenly interested in the yawls that they carried for ship to shore ops and marking channels.

Mariner's Museum Models

 23 Apr 26:

Fantastic models at The Mariner's Museum, we are especially interested in this 18th Century shipyard.

Much more to come.